BEET — BRUSSELS SPROUTS 467 



the beets are much more desirable in their young stage than when 

 they have become old and woody. The mangel-wurzel and the sugar- 

 beet are usually grown as a field crop, and will not enter into the 

 calculations of the home garden. 



In order to hasten the season of the extra-early crop of beets, the 

 seeds may be sown in boxes or in the soil of a hotbed in February or 

 March, transplanting the small plants to the open ground at the time 

 the first sowing of seed is made. As the flat or turnip-rooted varieties 

 grow at the surface of the ground, the seed may be sown thickly, and 

 as the more advanced roots are large enough to use they may be 

 pulled, leaving room for the later ones to develop, thus growing a 

 large quantity in a small area and having a long season of small beets 

 from one sowing. 



For winter use the late July-sown seed will give the best roots, grow- 

 ing through the cool months of the fall to a medium size and remain- 

 ing firm without being tough or stringy. These may be dug after 

 light frosts and before any severe cold weather, and stored in barrels 

 or boxes in the cellar, using enough dry dirt to fill spaces between the 

 roots and cover them to the depth of 6 inches. These roots, thus 

 packed in a cool cellar, will be fit to use through the entire winter 

 months. When it can be had, florists' or sphagnum moss is an excel- 

 lent medium in which to pack roots for winter. 



The early round or turnip varieties (Fig. 297) are best for early and 

 summer use. The long blood beets may be used for storing, but these 

 require a longer season of growth. 



Broccoli is almost identical with the cauliflower, except that it 

 usually requires a longer season and matures in the fall. It is grown 

 more generally in Europe than in this country. The special merit 

 of broccoli is its adaptability for late summer planting and its rapid 

 growth in the late season. It is said that a large proportion of broccoli 

 is used in the manufacture of pickles. The culture is the same as for 

 cauliflower, — deep, moist soil well enriched, cool weather, and the 

 destruction of the cabbage worm. 



Brussels sprouts. — The plant is grown for the buttons or sprouts 

 (miniature cabbage heads) that grow thickly along the stem (Fig. 298). 



